NY Times Article-The Lawyer, the Addict Forum

[Anonymous User]

Yep, though not just during work hours. Last football season I'd throw $500 on the 1pm games, then would chase losses all the way through the primetime tourneys which imo are a complete crapshoot. This transformed into betting on/playing draftkings NHL/NBA every night, then baseball when summer rolled around, then random bursts of online blackjack. I basically wrecked my bank account and felt like complete shit after big losing sessions. I have no idea what I was thinking. These sessions have become more rare since I've recognized that it was becoming a huge problem (not just financially) but I still slip up every once in a while.

My wife (also a biglaw lawyer) and I go to AC almost every month to get that sweet craps high. I consider it an adult arcade - i.e., I don't go to win, but to play. We're also not spending baller money. That's pretty much how I justify to myself that it's okay. I also dabble in draftkings, but I can't really compete with the pros so never got addicted to it. I can see it getting dangerous though - usually a big loss will set me straight. You're doing $500 per week (assuming its Football)? That seems like a lot.

I'm the first anon who posted about gambling. I'm in every day mode on draftkings MLB right now which is slowly turning into a disaster. My mindset whenever I run into a horrible 70-80 hour billable week like I am now is I'm gonna spike 1st place, quit biglaw and become a pro LOL only to shoot myself in the foot financially and extend the amount of time I need to stay in biglaw rather than saving and developing an actual plan for an exit like a reasonable adult. The sad thing is when I was in college I actually had the head for poker and stats etc. but being a lawyer has legit made me dumber in that regard and has taken all my time so I have no chance of competing with the pros and should just accept that and either play small/for fun or quit entirely. Probably going to need to end up quitting entirely. It's incredibly dangerous that it's on my phone and I can literally punch in my lineups with one hand and review/mark-up documents with my other hand with my office door closed with no physical effects to me or anyone in my life knowing any different.

I hear you about quitting entirely. It's a hard thing to moderate and it makes money seem like a figment of the imagination (e.g. losing $500 on draftkings doesn't feel like losing 5 weeks worth of groceries or whatever).